Before its 15 minutes of fame, J.A. Murphy's was a fun, occasionally rowdy but unremarkable Fells Point bar. It was the type of place you stopped by for a quick beer during a pub crawl, but usually left before a second round.

In August, J.A. Murphy's made it to cable TV for all of the wrong reasons. It was the subject of "Bar Rescue," a makeover reality show on Spike TV hosted by industry expert Jon Taffer. The show painted the owners — old fraternity brothers Keith Murphy and Joel Gallant — as clueless managers who allowed their bar to erode.

Of course, at the end of the episode, J.A. Murphy's was transformed into the more handsome (but duller) Murphy's Law. Then, despite Hollywood renovations and having been reopened only for a couple months, the bar was quietly sold. So much for a "rescue."

Enter Bradley's of Fells Point, the replacement that scrubbed the old bar's fratmosphere clean. In the process, it seems to have removed any traces of personality from the Fells Point location. It's a shell of a bar and little else.

As far as looks, there's not much to say. Bradley's is a slender, dark room with a wooden bar, a couple of tables and some stools. Muted TVs play in the corners. Indie-rock songs can be heard at a low level. There are no signs or posters on the walls.

On this particular Saturday night, there were fewer than 15 people in the room, including staff. We immediately grabbed seats at the bar. Looking around, I struggled to find anything worth mentioning. Autographed dollar bills lined a segment of the wall that was surrounded by Bradley's' modest collection of liquor bottles. The only decorative touch to make an impression — and not much of one, at that — was a collection of Orioles bobblehead dolls in a glass case behind the bar.

Faced with disappointing decor and an atmosphere to go with it, we turned hopefully to the cocktail menu. Bradley's offers six "specialty drinks," most of which turned us off, given their sweet names ("CinnaFig Martini," "Caramel Apple White"). We chose drinks that fit the subdued setting: Pimm's Chalice ($8) and Pikesville Peak ($7.50).

The Peak (made with Pikesville Rye, Cointreau triple sec, orange bitters and ginger beer) tasted weak at first, but it eventually surprised us by settling into a tasty concoction. Even better was the Pimm's Chalice, which uses Hendricks gin, muddled cucumber and mint, lemon, ginger beer and Pimm's No. 1, the sweet British liqueur. Our bartender pointed out that adding cucumber to any drink improves it, and the Chalice further supported the claim. It was a bright, balanced cocktail that gives customers a reason to stay at Bradley's beyond a Natty Boh (which cost $2 all day, every day).

Open for less than six weeks, Bradley's is still figuring itself out. The bar's other half — a gutted, adjoining space formerly a part of J.A. Murphy's — is a soon-to-be-open dining room. Perhaps the food served will be more remarkable than the generic bar experience. As of now, the bar has been set rather low.

Baltimore's nightlife scene is a reflection of its people -- extremely eccentric, but just as endearing. We put personality at a premium, and expect good value, too. So while we're happy to visit D.C. for the occasional swanky escape, given the choice, we'd take a cold Boh in a Baltimore bar...

Are you planning a big night out? Or looking for a go-to neighborhood watering hole? Browse photos and information of bars recently reviewed by The Baltimore Sun. Read the full reviews at baltimoresun.com/midnightsun.